Vehicles, such as pickup trucks, may include a box having a bed, opposing sidewalls, a headboard and a tailgate. The box is attached to and supported by the chassis. The box may be equipped with toolboxes, ladder racks, tie-downs and other equipment that exert equipment loads on the box. These loads are transferred from the box to the chassis through the bed.
Traditionally, the majority of body structures on pickup trucks are steel alloys. Through years of experience, pickup truck designers have learned how to engineer steel truck body parts that withstand the variety of demanding pickup truck applications. The current regulatory and economic environment have increased the importance of making pickup trucks more fuel efficient as well as functional and durable.
This increased emphasis on fuel efficiency has led to a desire for lightweight vehicle components, such as aluminum alloy vehicle components. Aluminum alloys typically have a higher strength to weight ratio than steel alloys. Consequently, replacing steel with aluminum offers potential for weight reduction. Steel alloys and aluminum alloys may have different material properties. The difference material properties may require different design solutions in addition to material substitution.